Medical products such as plastic material catheters and the like are vulnerable to ultraviolet light oxidation and deterioration. One approach to combatting the effects of ultraviolet light on medical products is to include antioxidant and/or inhibitor additives in, for example, the material used to form plastic catheters. The antioxidants and/or inhibitors serve to extend the shelf life of ultraviolet light sensitive medical products. A problem with the use of antioxidants and/or inhibitors in catheter materials is that the resulting catheters exhibit undesirable characteristics such as increased durometer and stiffness. Furthermore, a high concentration of antioxidants and/or inhibitors negatively affects the bonding properties of constituent materials. Poor bonding of constituent materials can result in medical product failure, which impacts safety and efficacy for the patient.
Another approach to combatting the effects of ultraviolet light on medical products is to package a medical product in a container that is impervious to ultraviolet, as well as visible, light. Medical products are typically packaged in a pathogen-free environment or sterilized after packaging. A disadvantage of packaging medical products in a light-impervious container is that medical personnel are unable to visually identify the medical product before opening the container. As a result, medical products can be unnecessarily opened and exposed to an infectious environment.